Direct Relief commits $200,000 to affiliated aid groups in Turkey and Syria after Feb. 5 earthquakes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Following a series of earthquakes in southern Turkey on Feb. 5, Direct Relief has committed an initial $200,000 to aid local partners in both Turkey and Syria.

Direct Relief is providing $100,000 to AKUT, a Turkish non-governmental disaster search and relief organization that has over 400 staff and volunteers responding to the affected region.

AKUT's initial estimates detail over 1,700 collapsed buildings in below-freezing temperatures.

Direct Relief has also committed $100,000 to the Syrian American Medical Society, a non-profit group that operates health facilities in northwest Syria.

Those facilities have already received more than 1,000 patients impacted by the recent quakes.

Further complicating the emergency response in Syria is the ongoing military conflict and cholera outbreak with more than 77,000 suspected cholera cases reported since Aug. 25, 2022 according to Direct Relief.

The initial 7.8-magnitude earthquake centered in southern Turkey was followed by multiple 6.0+ magnitude quakes in the country.

For more information or to help Direct Relief's efforts in Turkey and Syria, click here.